A look at the team news for the FA Cup clash against Arsenal.
Manchester United have been utterly dominant ever since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to take over the Red Devils in mid-December. The Red Devils have been in fantastic fettle, winning seven games out of seven over the last month.
In their seven-game winning streak, an impressive performance from their shot-stopper David De Gea against Tottenham Hotspur sealed all three points for the English outfit. Even though it was a scrappy win against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend, they were more than happy to come away with a win to close the gap to three points to the fourth-placed side Chelsea.
With a 2-0 win over Reading at Old Trafford, they qualified for the next round of the FA Cup. They were drawn against Arsenal in the fourth round of the English Cup Competition which will take place on Friday night at the Emirates.
TEAM NEWS:
Alexis Sanchez will be featuring against his former side, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed the news after the victory over Brighton at Old Trafford. The Manchester United forward was forced to be withdrawn from the last two games because of the injury he picked up when he was in action against Reading in the FA Cup.
When Soskjaer was asked if Sanchez would start against Arsenal, he responded “He’ll be involved. I think he’ll love it if the crowd turn against him. As a player, pride kicks in and you think ‘I’ll show all of you’. He’s been fantastic in training, his attitude has been spot on so hopefully he’ll enjoy the game.”
Despite having one of his forwards back, the injured trio of Chris Smalling, Marouane Fellaini, and Marcus Rojo who missed the weekends Premier League clash will be missing this crucial tie on Friday as per Solskjaer.
“No, it’s still those three. Smalling has started training so hopefully he’ll be available maybe next week so it’s looking good for him. Fellaini and Rojo are still a bit away.”
The Norwegian has said that there would be some changes in the starting eleven, apart from the second choice Sergio Romero. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Victor Lindelof, and Paul Pogba were all rested in the previous FA Cup encounter. Considering the quality of Arsenal, it is likely to see at least half team with regular starters.
“Two different scenarios of course, yes, but we have a very good and talented squad. There are players there that need to play and have the quality to play. There will be one or two changes definitely.” said Solskjaer.
On the other hand, Unai Emery has been dealt with a huge blow as he will be without four starters – Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding.
